Southern California -- this just in

Crash kills off-duty LAPD officer in Sherman Oaks

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer was involved in a single-vehicle accident in Sherman Oaks on Saturday and died of his injuries hours later at a hospital, according to authorities.

The officer was pronounced dead around 6 a.m. at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center following the crash, according to Officer Gregory Baek of the Los Angeles Police Department. The name and age of the officer would not be released until his family received notification of his death.

The crash occurred around 3:20 a.m. on the southbound Ventura Freeway near the Van Nuys Boulevard offramp, CHP officer Ed Jacobs said. The off-duty officer was driving his own vehicle, a Ford F-150, when it suddenly veered off the right shoulder and struck the metal guardrail. "The rail penetrated through his vehicle, struck him and he was ejected," said CHP Officer Ed Jacobs, adding that the officer was still belted to the driver seat.